Chasson No. 99 & No. 100 Arrive

[iim7V7IM7]

I arrived home to two guitar boxes in my foyer today.

They are both beautiful and after about 30 minutes of play, clearly have distinctive voices. No. 99 (Craftsman) is a lighter weight instrument than No. 100 (Prairie Style). My initial impression is No. 99 is a bit brighter in its timbre, is more open and has more shimmer. No. 100 has a beautiful thick, meatiness to its high E and B strings that I really like. Both are set up perfectly and play like a dream.

Tomorrow is going to be a rainy fall day. Perfect for spending a day auditioning both guitars. I need to play through a but of tunes, styles to see which feels more at home.

This is going to be an extremely tough (but fun) decision to decide which one stays and which one goes. If either had arrived on their own, I would have been delighted.

Kudos Kent!

[Coffeeaddict]

I don't envy you. That is a very tough choice as both are gorgeous.

[SJ VanSandt]

You mean you can't keep both of them!!? That's a shame, especially since they have such different sounds (not to mention styles). They look like the same body size but because of the angles it's hard to tell if the scale length is the same. Everything else being equal, do you think it's the woods that account for the sonic differences?

Two gorgeous guitars - I enjoyed following the build threads. Thanks for sharing!

[iim7V7IM7]

I would refer you to Kent for insights to that.

I can tell you that the Wenge guitar is clearer sounding and has more shimmer which many perceive as more open sounding (my wife prefers this one I think) but the BRW guitar has rich, but more focused overtones and a thicker sound to its voice. The weight difference really surprised me. I am wondering how much lighter the tru-oil finish is than the nitro finish? Any how, I still need to play them some more...

Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt

You mean you can't keep both of them!!? That's a shame, especially since they have such different sounds (not to mention styles). They look like the same body size but because of the angles it's hard to tell if the scale length is the same. Everything else being equal, do you think it's the woods that account for the sonic differences?

Two gorgeous guitars - I enjoyed following the build threads. Thanks for sharing!

[Backpocketnj]

Great looking guitars. It great to know these are both in New Jersey right now!

[W. D.]

It’s great to see them side by side; both are gorgeous. Aside from the beauty of the design, details and workmanship, I continue to admire the hybrid, Sexauer-inspired cutaway. It will be interesting to see which guitar you choose; it must be a truly “tough decision.”

[iim7V7IM7]

Kent has made this extremely tough for me by producing two outstanding albeit distinctly voiced instruments. If either had arrived at my door solo, I would be delighted with either. This rare opportunity to compare two custom builds is an amazing opportunity that I am most greatful for (thanks Kent).

After playing both instruments for about 3-hours now, I can begin to hear some distinctions between the two.

No. 99 (Wenge/Engelmann Spruce)

- clearer, brighter sounding guitar
- overtones are there but wider in spectrum
- slightly longer sustain with airy, dryer timbre during decay
- faster attack
- higher headroom
- more open sounding
- responds to a lighter touch

No. 100 (Brazilian Rosewood/Engelmann Spruce)

- thicker, sweeter sounding guitar
- overtones more narrowly surround tonic tone
- slightly less sustain with warmer timbre
- slower attack with more bloom
- less headroom
- more focused sounding
- requires a slightly heavier touch

Feel wise, the Wenge guitar is significantly lighter and has a different tactile experience due to the satin/semi-gloss finish. The textures of the woods look amazing with this finish. The BRW guitar is also beautiful, but is heavier and has a more typical gloss finish. Depending on the style in which I play, I go back and forth as to which I prefer (I know, I know stop saying buy both!).

[kirkham13]

I think I'm slightly leaning towards the Wenge from the pictures only which is very superficial indeed! I like them both, the Wenge seems slightly less self important, as though it could be morphed into a regular model by De Mcilroy... The fancier model would win out though if the hands and ears dictated it! Certainly not a decision to be made in haste..

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by kirkham13

I think I'm slightly leaning towards the Wenge from the pictures only which is very superficial indeed! I like them both, the Wenge seems slightly less self important, as though it could be morphed into a regular model by De Mcilroy... The fancier model would win out though if the hands and ears dictated it! Certainly not a decision to be made in haste..

Unfortunately (or fortunately), aesthetically, I like them both. Kent and I worked closely on both takes on the design movement. I wish I could tell you that one guitar was clearly better than the other but that is just not the case.

Both guitars exhibit evenness in sound when open C, A, G, E and D chords are arpeggiated. Both guitars have evenness in timbre, decay and sustain when I play a movable 4-note chord forms up and down the fingerboard (e.g. C7 at the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 8th, 10th and 13th frets).

One thing that I have noticed in the decay of the sustaining notes between them is that while No. 99 (Wenge) has slightly longer sustain, the tonic fades somewhat faster and high frequency shimmer sustains beyond. No. 100's (BRW) sustain characteristics, while slightly shorter overall has longer tonic sustain with a blooming "ring" harmonics that develop as it decays.

[Bruce Sexauer]

So far I have seen "intellectual" descriptions of the guitars and as I'd expect, both are competent and not all that different. Same size and same maker! That's a tough decision. Another approach is to make a choice instead of a decision. It's more of an intuitive approach. Notice which one you reach for when you want to play. Which one raises your fun quotient further? Do you play faster, cleaner, or more inspired on one than the other? Take your time, in ten or fifteen years you'll have your answer.

[iim7V7IM7]

Originally Posted by Bruce Sexauer

So far I have seen "intellectual" descriptions of the guitars and as I'd expect, both are competent and not all that different. Same size and same maker! That's a tough decision. Another approach is to make a choice instead of a decision. It's more of an intuitive approach. Notice which one you reach for when you want to play. Which one raises your fun quotient further? Do you play faster, cleaner, or more inspired on one than the other? Take your time, in ten or fifteen years you'll have your answer.

Thanks for the "sound advice" (couldn't resist).

In the end, it will likely be a choice vs. a decision. I also am considering between these two how they differ from my other guitars. Since collaborated so closely with Kent in the creation of these over the last 14-months, I am drawn to both instruments. They are both are equally fun to play and unfortunately since I didn't pay for the "talent upgrade" I seem to play both equally poorly...

Since I am only keeping one of these two instruments, I thought that having some technical descriptions of my impressions of how they sounded might be useful to someone who is considering buying it from Kent.

[iim7V7IM7]

After about 8-hours of play, I have made the difficult decision (or was it a choice Bruce?) to keep Chasson No. 100 (BRW) and return Chasson No. 99 (Wenge) for Kent for sale. In the end, it came down to my jazz chord melody playing style being more compatible with it's timbre and euphonic overtones and how it differed from other instruments in my collection. I hope someone in the AGF community steps up buys No. 99 from Kent so I know where it ends up. It is really a beautiful and balanced guitar. Kudos Kent...

, ,

Here is the guitar for those of you who did not follow the build thread.

[Kent Chasson]

Originally Posted by SJ VanSandt

..Everything else being equal, do you think it's the woods that account for the sonic differences?

Short answer is no but I'll try to give you a better answer when I have a bit more time.

For now I just wanted to reiterate what a pleasure this collaboration was. Thanks!

[LegatoLuthier]

Those are both totally spectacular guitars full of visual surprises and the most luscious wood combos. Well done!

[stringjunky]

Lovely work and designs